Widen the path of opportunities and continue to leave a powerful and positive legacy in this world.

 

— Luis Fonsi

Our Mission

Our mission is to leverage the business community to provide disadvantaged and disengaged young people with access to resources necessary to start up and grow entrepreneurial ventures.

Our Vision

Our vision is a level playing field where even the most disadvantaged young people are able to pursue and achieve their entrepreneurial goals while improving both their lives and their communities.

We formed in 2003 to open alternative education programs for disadvantaged and disengaged young people living in large urban centers. We have operated programs in Chicago, Milwaukee, Miami and parts of Michigan. We have developed innovative curricula and programs along the way. And, most importantly, we have educated thousands of students, providing them with the means to make positive changes in their lives, obtain their high school diplomas, and achieve success in their post-secondary endeavors.

In 2015, we started an entrepreneurial training program in one of Chicago schools. We noticed that the program increased attendance and academic performance while reducing negative behaviors. From this experience, we realized the true power and effectiveness of teaching entrepreneurship to disadvantaged and disengaged young people in an educational setting.

In 2018, we started Making Moguls as a new division of our nonprofit organization. Making Moguls provides disadvantaged young people who possess an entrepreneurial spirit with the tools and resources necessary to capitalize on it. Making Moguls provides its young entrepreneurs with training, mentoring, funding and other resources which not only help them succeed in their entrepreneurial studies and in business, but also place them on paths to becoming community leaders.

After spending time with young budding entrepreneurs living in challenging environments, our team has noticed a few things. Despite significant economic and social barriers, these hard-working young people are incredibly determined to succeed. They see their ventures as paths to better lives through business growth and by obtaining valuable and transferable workplace skills.

But we have also observed the serious challenges our young entrepreneurs encounter in terms of resources and support when compared to entrepreneurs who have the advantage of coming from more affluent backgrounds.  In an effort to level the playing field, we started Making Moguls to provide highly enterprising but disadvantaged young people with free training, mentoring, funding, resources and other support necessary to start, grow and sustain their businesses.

In the Making Moguls logo, the rising arrow represents the upward trajectory of our young entrepreneurs. The curves in the arrow represent the challenges our entrepreneurs face on a daily basis. Making Moguls helps our young people navigate these challenges and keeps them on rising paths to success.

We at Making Moguls believe that our ambitious young people will eventually reach their goals — in both business and life — largely through their entrepreneurial spirit, hard work and determination. And with a little help from Making Moguls, we are confident they will become business and community leaders, and even true moguls!

Barry Cohen

President, Making Moguls

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Education is the great engine of personal development.”
Nelson Mandela